It’s still amazing the relationship that certain referees have with Shakhtar Donetsk. Specific referees for this specific team in specific matches.
As reported (with video and VAR referee discussions), it was officially recognized last Monday that during the officiating of Vitalii Romanov in the 11th round match of the Ukrainian championship Shakhtar — Dynamo (3:1) the capital team was denied a well-deserved penalty when the defender, a fan of Russian content, Yefim Konoplya violated the rules against the white-and-blue’s midfielder Shola Ogundana in Shakhtar’s penalty area. VAR referee Igor Paskhal also «didn’t see» the foul on various replays.
And the score at that moment was 2:1 in favor of Shakhtar. So, not only was Dynamo denied a penalty — it’s a referee error that quite likely affected both the match outcome and the current standings in the championship table.
But that’s not all! In the last Ukrainian championship, in the 26th round match Shakhtar — Dynamo (2:2), the head referee was the same Romanov. And early in the match there was a playing episode in Dynamo’s penalty area with Dynamo’s Taras Mikhavko and Shakhtar’s Eginaldo, the video of which is offered below. Doesn’t it painfully remind you of something? And how «surprising» it is that the same Romanov awarded a penalty in that situation.
It turns out the significance is not the playing episode itself, but in whose penalty area it took place — Dynamo’s or Shakhtar’s?
What about the UAF Referees Committee? Hello?! Maybe it’s finally time to go beyond publishing explanations of referee decisions and their correctness/incorrectness? Maybe it’s time to kick certain referees out and finally deprive them of the opportunity to work at least in UPL matches and not let them near VAR? Exclusively for the benefit of our football. And if not, maybe you could stick the Shakhtar club emblem on Romanov’s gear?
Alexander POPOV
